Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We just got 2 baby beardies, and i have a question about daytime lighting,

normally there is someone home all day long except on mondays, monday is when i work half a day , anyway the babies have a light one of the t-rex heat/uvb lights that heats half thier cage, i cant fit the top covering over thier cage right now ( soon we will have a larger cage ) because the light lays on the cage , i am absolutly terrified of the light starting a fire while im not here, and i have to have the lid on when im not home because we have an obsesive compulsive cat who just doesnt know when to chill out and im so scared that he will get one of the beardies ( even though all he really wants is the crickets)

today i went to a neighbors and turned the lights of for about an hour and when i came home they looked so sad so when i flipped the light on you could instantly see thier attitudes change,

is it harful for them to once in a while be without the bright light they crave so much or is there an alternative? my biggest fear is fire, any ideas are greatly apreciated,

i think for tomorrow im going to put the beardies in my bedroom with the door closed, but im still worried abou the lights,.

i dont believe its crucial but like alot of ppl.. i like to run my lights on a 14 hour daily timer for my beardies. and getting a appliance timer at stores like walmart target work well. if your concerned about fires, run your lights on a battery surge and keep any thing that might catch on fire away from the lights. other than that i havnt had a problem with anything catching fire and have not heard anyone post a fire problem on this forum.
hopes this helps a few. good luck!

Daytime light is ALWAYS important to a bearded dragon. Not having it can lead to serious health problems like vitamin deficiency, skin shed difficulties, etc. Beardies have to have uVA and uVB lighting at least 12-14 hours a day as well as a high degree of temp and low humidity to properly metabolize their food intake and to keep their energy levels up. (The only other time you should deviate from this is when beardies brumate). The only other source of good light and heat that can replace bulbs is direct sunlight and fresh air, but obviously when the day progresses and the sun shifts position in the sky, this makes it harder to keep beardies in the light unless they are outdoors. And it's obvious you'd need a suitable pen built outdoors to properly house beardies, with as much care given to keeping out any and all insects in your yard (not knowing what your beardie has eaten during the day, like a big fat cricket loaded with fertilizer, pesticides, etc..., can get VERY worrisome...).

To be safe and keep a happy, healthy beardie, just rethink your container setup. Large gallon tanks take up boatloads of room but are SOOOO beneficial in the long run.
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Dl